Episode Behind the Scenes

TREKCORE > TNG > EPISODES > LOWER DECKS > Behind the Scenes
 

Freelancer-writer Ronald Wilkerson on "Lower Decks" - "Again, like our "Lessons", what was important was not the mission but the relationships of the people. What it is like to work for Riker, to work for Worf, to wonder whaty goes on in secret briefings in the observation lounge."
   
Alexander Enberg's character of Taurik was mentioned as a possibility for a recurring guest role had the series gone on past season 7. Funnily enough, the actor went on to play a recurring Vulcan on spinoff Voyager, Vorik.
   
Taurik was originally called Sorik, but the name was changed to fit in with the newly established "T-theme" of Vulcan's names to fit with Tuvok of spinoff Voyager.
   
Shannon Fill was a trained dancer and acrobat, but completely new to martial arts. Dan Curry comments - "I've never seen anybody learn it that quickly and so convincingly."
   
After Shannon Fill's performance as Sito, Jeri Taylor hinted that the character could show up in DS9 as a Cardassian hostage - "I've gotten more mail on that - how could Picard send Sito to her death? A lot of people were very upset by that and felt that was very inappropriate for him, and didn't behave as even the military now would behave."
   
Ogawa was almost cut from this episode to make room for other characters.
   
Taurik's research guru was named for Cuban Nuclear Engineer Nils Diaz, Rene Echevarria's real life godfather.
   
Sam Lavelle's name could come from two sources - a close friend of Rene Echevarria or Ronald Wilkerson's Labrador Samwell.
   
In cut scenes, Sito Jaxa was to have tracked a lost puppy from ops and deal with a turbolift traffic jam.

If you have some more behind the scenes information, send it in.